Program Goal and Key Results

6 breams, lobsters are purchased by industrial seafood processing companies for export abroad. The Ministry of Fisheries and communities at the artisanal fisheries landing sites have indicated that Water and Sanitation are development priorities for the artisanal fisheries sector due to the lack of sanitary facilities and potable water sources at most landing sites. This situation poses a public health threat for users of the site and surrounding communities as well as a threat to the quality of fisheries products handled and processed at the sites. The Gambia’s fisheries sector operates under the authority and responsibility of the Minister of Fisheries, Water Resources, and National Assembly Matters through the Department of Fisheries DoFish. The policy, legal and management framework for fisheries in The Gambia is provided by the 2007 Fisheries Act and the 2008 Fisheries Regulations. A draft Fisheries Management Plan for shrimp, sardinella and sole fish was prepared in 2009. The Fisheries Act mandates a Fishery Advisory Committee and Community Fisheries Centers as the institutional structure for inclusive oversight of the sector and also allows for decentralized fisheries co-management. The policy objectives of the fisheries sector as articulated in policy documents include: • Rational and long-term utilization of the marine and inland fisheries resources • Improving nutritional standards of the population • Increasing employment opportunities in the sector • Increasing foreign exchange earnings • Increasing and expanding the participation of Gambians in the fisheries sector • Improving the institutional capacity and legal framework for the management of the fisheries sector The policy objectives of the fisheries sector are linked to key national development objectives that include: increased food self-sufficiency and security; a healthy population and enhanced employment opportunities for nationals; increased revenue generation and foreign exchange earnings; and the attainment of national social and economic development. They are designed to support key national development objectives as outlined in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and The Gambia Incorporated Vision 2020, which are blueprints for national development and eradication of poverty. The Fisheries Act empowers the Minister of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters and the Director of Fisheries to declare Special Management Areas for purposes of community-based fisheries management; establish open or closed seasons for specified areas and fish stocks; define minimum fish size regulations; and impose gear and fish method restrictions.

1.3 Program Goal and Key Results

The goal of the Ba Nafaa Project is to support the Government of The Gambia in achieving its fisheries development objectives by contributing to the following vision: Artisanal fisheries and coastal ecosystems in The Gambia and selected stocks shared with Senegal are being managed more sustainably, incorporating significant participation of fisherfolk in decision-making, and attaining improved economic benefits for both men and women involved in the market value chain. 7 Ba Nafaa builds on the on-going efforts of the Department of Fisheries in The Gambia, working with several community fisheries centers and their management committees to improve fisherfolk involvement in the management of fisheries resources. More specifically, to further the development and implementation of the draft fisheries management plan for sole and other selected species.. Sole is an important export commodity so this involves partnerships with export processing businesses as well. This is also a shared stock with Senegal. As gender equity is another important aspect of the project, Ba Nafaa is benefiting both men and women in the fisheries sector by also working with oyster harvesters—a women-dominated fishery whose importance is often under-recognized. Key Results for the Ba Nafaa Project are to: • Contribute to government objectives of sustained and increased social and economic benefits for artisanal fishing communities including food security, increased income and employment. ROECCR IR3 • Institutional capacity at all levels of governance to implement a fisheries co-management approach is strengthened in order to sustain socio-economic benefits for fisherfolk and other beneficiaries in the market value chain. ROECCR IR1, IR3 IR4 • Unsustainable and destructive marine resource use practices, including bycatch of marine turtles and juvenile fishes, are reduced. ROECCR IR3 • Key habitats and marine areas important in the life stages of commercially important fish as well as threatened and protected species of marine turtles and mammals are protected. ROECCR IR1 IR3 Geographic Scope. The Project concentrates its activities on the marine and coastal resources and fisheries stocks shared among the Casamance, the Gambia River and Saloum Delta region— an area of regional biodiversity significance see Figure 1. The majority of on-the-ground activities occur in The Gambia, where Ba Nafaa focuses on the artisanal nearshore fisheries along the Atlantic coastline as well as the estuarine- and mangrove-dominated portions of The Gambia River see Figure 2 below. A sister project in Senegal, called the Wula Nafaa project, is working on fisheries management in the Saloum Delta and Casamance River. Together, these two USAID-supported initiatives are expected to have a significant impact on improved management of this biodiversity-rich area. 8 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ BANJUL BISSAU CONAKRY DAKAR NOUAKCHOTT GABU GAOUA BOKE THIES MBACKE DIOURBEL FATICK GUINGUINEO KAOLACK ZIGUINCHOR PODOR MATAM RICHARD-TOLL SAINT-LOUIS LOUGA LINGUERE KOUNDARA NOUADHIBOU BAFATA OUEBO KAEDI ATAR AKJOUJT BOUGOLON CACHEU Cacheu Cufada Bolama Bijagos Banc dArguin Djoudj Ndiael Ferlo-Nord Ferlo-Sud Delta du Saloum River Gambia Baubolon Kiang West Tanji and Bijol Island Bird Reserve Niokolo Koba Badiar Basse-Casamance NDama Orango 100 100 200 Kilometers Légende Legend National Ecoregional Mondial Global Niveau Level Limite dEtat National boundary Trait de côte Coast line Aires protégées Protected areas Y Aires protégées Protected areas [ Villes Cities [ Capital WEST AFRICAN MARINE ECOREGION WAMER PRIORITY AREAS AIRES PRIORITAIRES ECOREGION MARINE OUEST AFRICAINE WAMER Figure 1. Areas of Biodiversity Significance in the WAMER and The Gambia River Estuary and Atlantic Coast 9

1.4 Rationale for Piloting Regional Demonstration Activities in The Gambia